Dewhurst, Cruz head to GOP runoff for Texas Senate

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and tea-party backed former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz are heading to a runoff in the state's Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

The race to replace U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has been fierce, with brutal attacks from all sides. Candidates competed to see who could claim to be the true conservative in the race.

Dewhurst was short of the majority needed to earn the nomination outright. The two men will now face a runoff election on July 31 to advance to the November general election. A runoff also will decide the Democratic primary.

The other top candidates included former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and former ESPN football analyst Craig James.